A surprise at school
by percabethrules
Summary: There's a new girl in school...and she's pretty! Who is it? And why does Percy feel like he knows her?
1. Chapter 1

1 – I Get an Unexpected Visitor

It was the end of the summer vacation and I couldn't have been more disappointed. The summer had been great: Mom, Paul and I had gone down to our cabin in Montauk only they didn't tell me the good news - Annabeth was coming as well! Actually, they may have hinted at it but they should know I'm way to slow to work things like that out. Annabeth and I had spent all our time together during the break because once school started, we wouldn't see each other again since Annabeth was going to an all girls school in the fall. So during the day, it was walks on the beach with Annabeth (this never got old since we ended up not walking) or fishing with Paul or listening to Mom tell the world what exactly it was I had liked to do when I was two years old (why are moms so embarrassing?). During the evenings, Paul wowed us with his surprisingly good cooking skills and we tucked in to barbeque or, when it was Mom's turn to cook, defrosted pizza.

So any sane person would be able to see why exactly I dreaded going back to Goode for my sophomore year.

"Honey, relax," my mom told me endless times, "You survived a whole year! You should be so proud of yourself, not dreading a new year! In fact, I think this calls for a celebration."

"You want to celebrate the end of summer?" I asked as if she had suggested we pay Hades a trip.

"Well, not so much the end of summer, but the beginning of fall." My mom is so weird. I talked her out of this because she wanted to invite the neighbours who always look at us like the spinach that got stuck between their teeth.

So on the first day of school, Mom made an extra special breakfast for me and Paul consisting of blue sausages, blue eggs and blueberry muffins (with added blue). She also fussed around us like we'd both got amnesia and forgotten everything.

"Percy, are you sure you did all your summer homework?"

"Paul, did you pack your lunch?"  
"Have you both got your house keys?"

In the end, Paul had to say: "Sally, do you want me to empty out my briefcase so you can see what exactly I haven't forgotten?" to shut her up.

Mom came to wave us off. Paul was taking me to school from now on since he was my step-dad and everything and Mom was supposedly staying home to write, though knowing her she's probably sneak out to buy us a "Well Done On Your First Day Back" cake…wait, no, she'd make it.

"Bye, Percy!" mom shouted as we pulled out of the garage, "Have fun! See you later, Paul! Good luck!"

"Sheesh, you'd think we were never coming back!" I joked.

Paul laughed and said "That mother of yours is too kind."

Paul was a cool guy and we got on really well. My real dad wasn't exactly around to watch the Yankees game with; he was way too busy making sure the oceans were all under control…or on a bad day, totally out of control! I'd come to think of Paul as my substitute dad – he could never take Poseidon's place, but he was the human dad I'd never had (who loved to watch Yankees games).

Paul's Audi (he used to have a Volvo but I kind of trashed it, so we went to get a new car and since I would also be driving it, I helped to pick a cooler one) pulled up into the teacher's parking lot and I made to get out.

"Well, have a good day, son." Paul smiled as I shifted my backpack and made towards the doors.

I paused and replied "You too, Dad." And you know what? The overjoyed look on my step-father's face made the whole thing worthwhile.

To be totally honest, there was another reason I was dreading walking into homeroom today. Last year, I had unexpectedly made friends with Rachel Elizabeth Dare so I didn't look like a total loser. But this year, Rachel had struck a deal with her dad: he let her save my butt and she would attend an all girls finishing school he wanted her to attend. Rachel had stuck to her word and was now attending a school full of rich, stuck-up, snobby girls. She'd said to me during one of our phone calls "You owe me, Jackson!" and I totally did. But my new dilemma was: this year I would be a total loner.

I'm not exactly what you would call the most social of people, so any new friends I made, it was because we'd probably been through a terrible ordeal together or something. The types of people in my class were _not _the type of people I generally mixed with: mortal. I was guaranteed a lunch table all to myself with a blue sandwich for company.

So that's why, when I walked in to my homeroom, I got a surprise that nearly knocked me over.

Ω

When I entered the classroom, the teacher was not yet there. Some girls were hugging their friends and squealing like they hadn't seen each other since forever, when in reality they'd probably had an email fest in the morning to sort out what they would be wearing. The guys who had probably dated every girl in the sophomore and freshman years were entertaining themselves by burping loudly or high-fiving each other.

"Yo, Jackson!" came a voice from behind me. It was, unmistakably, Chad Harold who was considered to be 'cool' because his parents were loaded; he had a fast car and had been voted Best Kisser by the sophomore year in the yearbook (I had been nominated for Biggest Freak but Rachel stole that title from me).

"What?" I answered stupidly; everyone knows you're just supposed to keep walking but Chad was just one of those irritating people you couldn't help but respond to, even if the response it to break his nose.

"Wow, so rude of you not to even say hello."

This time I kept walking towards my seat.

"Aw, I forgot, Becky," he said to the girl hanging off his arm, "Jackson's girlfriend's dumped him to go to that snob hangout."

Becky laughed and teased: "No, Chaddy, don't you remember? _She's not his girlfriend_."

"What exactly is it you guys want?" I asked exasperated; I had been expecting this but right now all I wanted to do was call Annabeth (my mom gave in and bought me a cell phone and I was still alive) and wish her luck before her first class.

Chad never got a chance to answer because at exactly that point our teacher, Dr Boring – that's his real name, walked into the room. He was a large man with no hair on his head but a lot on his chin. "Settle down, please." He said in his monotonous drone. Surprisingly, we did.

"Now as you all know, Ms Dare has left us –"

"What a shame!" Chad called out, looking straight at me.

"Quiet! As I was saying, Principal Forde will be bringing our new student to us shortly."

As if on cue, Principal Forde entered the room. "Good morning, students. I hope you are well and sunburn-free…" he chuckled at his own joke and, finding no response, continued, "I have waiting outside your new classmate. She has come a long way and I expect you to feel her welcome. Now, step inside, young lady. Please welcome to Goode…."

A girl stepped into the room, looking down as if looking up would make her disintegrate from the stares of twenty-nine other teenagers.

No way...the blonde hair and long limbs…it couldn't be… I was still mad for not getting a chance to call Annabeth…But then she looked up and I knew exactly who it was:  
"Annabeth Chase!"

And what was Annabeth Chase doing? Staring straight at me with a smile on her face which clearly said _Surprise, Seaweed Brain!_ and enjoying every moment of my surprise.

2 – Lunch Tastes Better

The most annoying thing was, we didn't get a chance to talk to Annabeth all morning. Dr Boring seated Annabeth right at the front meaning there was one person between us: Chad Harold. Then, it turned Annabeth wasn't in any of my classes because she was so much smarter than me. I literally counted the seconds till lunch while I was sat in English (which I had Dr Boring for again. Lucky me – not!).

Finally, the bell rang and I practically ran out if the door. I bet I left skid-marks. I rushed down the hallway and I only knocked over two people and towards the cafeteria. People watching must've thought I was some hunger crazed lunatic.

Inside the cafeteria, it is like a jungle – I'm not even joking: once for a senior prank, they let a monkey loose in here and a lunch-lady fell in love with it and it goes around stealing peoples' lunches. But I found Annabeth easily enough: somehow I knew she'd know which table Rachel and I used to sit at; though the _Mr and Mrs Freak _graffiti on it may have been a clue.

"Alright. What in Hades' pants are you doing here?" I demanded but I was smiling so hard, I thought my face would rip.

Annabeth laughed and replied: "Hades' pants? Excuse me, but I'm eating here!" Then she stood up and hugged me. Even though she was my girlfriend now, every time she hugged me I felt like I would pass out from the sweet smell of her lemon soap.

We sat down and I breathed again for the first time in five minutes or so. I asked her again what she was doing here, ignoring the stares people were giving us.

"I worked something out with my dad and we came to a conclusion that I could come here to Goode." Annabeth answered as if this had been the plan all along; I guess for her, it had been.

"And you just forgot to mention this to me?"

"I wanted to surprise you." she laughed, "You don't know how hard it was to keep this a secret from you. I mean, I had to make your mom and Mr Blofis swear they wouldn't tell you!"

"Mom and Dad knew about this?" I was so shocked; I was amazed I could speak at all.

"Sure."

"Oh my gods! Where are you staying?"

Annabeth took a bite out of whatever she was eating; cafeteria food is always unidentifiable. She scrunched her nose in disgust, swallowed and said: "I knew you'd ask that. I'll tell you if you eat."

I realized just how hungry I was and devoured my blue sandwich and started on the blueberry muffin Mom packed for me.

"Well, I talked to my dad about staying with you guys and he totally blew his top. I mean, I am his little girl and no dad would be pleased if his sixteen-year-old suggested she go live with her boyfriend." I felt myself flush and Annabeth grinned. "So he was like 'Doesn't your mother have any kids in New York?' and she does but I said 'Dad, there's no way I'm living with Jenny. Her half-brother's in a gang!' But he still wasn't convinced at all even though this true. Then I suggested he talk to your mom and they spent round about an hour on the phone talking about how she has a spare room and I was perfectly welcome to stay there. I think Mrs Jackson's a miracle worker because Dad agreed to let me move in."

I stopped to digest this information and my blueberry muffin and summarized all that she'd said into one sentence: "You're moving in to my house?"

Annabeth nodded, "That's right, Seaweed Brain. You've got yourself a flat-mate."

I had to hold on to the table to stop myself from falling off the chair. I grinned back at Annabeth who was smiling like someone told her Ares was in hospital and managed to say: "Alright, Wise Girl. But I definitely get to use the shower first!"

But as usual Annabeth had beaten me and written up a schedule for the bathroom: I got to go first on Wednesday, that's all. As we sat there in the monkey-infested cafeteria in Goode High School laughing (with a lot of people staring at us and commenting about the appropriateness of the _Mr and Mrs Freak _graffiti), I realized that my sophomore year may turn out to be okay.

After all, the only thing between my room and the spare room was a door which could very easily be opened….


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 4 – I get a ****super smart flat-mate**

Okay, have any of you ever wondered why moms think of everything? Well, my mom thought of everything she could do to make Annabeth living with us as uninteresting as possible. First of, she made me make the bed and vacuum the spare room which has been used as the storage room for or our old junk (which she made Dad take down to Goodwill). Then she got this carpenter to seal the link door so there was no way we could sneak and….talk.

So on Sunday, when Annabeth came with all her stuff, the spare room was sparkling clean and so tidy, it looked like a different room. Mom attacked her with a killer hug and she shook hands with Paul since it was the first proper meeting they'd had. I seriously thought I would get no time with my girlfriend. But I finally got the alone time I wanted after mom told Annabeth about the time when I was three and shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into my pants and yelled "POO POO!"

"Wow, Percy!" Annabeth laughed as I dragged her out of the room, "That was super smart of you!"

"Whatever, laugh all you want but I bet you did embarrassing stuff as a kid." I replied.

"Me? Nah! I was way too perfect!" she joked.

"Well…you wanna talk about baby stories? 'Cause I have much better ideas of what we could be doing right now…"

Annabeth gave me look which clearly said _I see where you're going with this, Seaweed Brain_ but she didn't actually have time to say it because her mouth was way too busy doing something else.

Ω

My mom, thank gods, had the sense to leave us alone for an hour. When we finally stopped…talking…Annabeth, ever the nerd, decided that we needed to study for a pop quiz Boring was giving us tomorrow.

"How do you know we're having a pop quiz?" I asked, "Isn't the whole point of a pop quiz the fact it's a surprise?"

"Rachel texted me." Annabeth shrugged like she hadn't been willing to kill Rachel a couple of months ago. But she and Rachel had gotten really friendly and for some reason were, like, the best of friends now.

"Seriously, Annabeth, isn't that like cheating?" I said hoping to distract her again because I would rather watch the Ares pick his nose than study.

"Nope, it's obviously what my mom wants for me and since you're with me, I'm dragging you in too."

"Well, I'm going to turn on ESPN now…" I said getting up.

"No you're not!" Annabeth exclaimed and pulled back down, "Tell you what, Seaweed brain, you get at least a B on this quiz and I'll take you out for pizza."

It's really quite surprising how much fun studying for a pop quiz can be.

**Chapter 5 – Annabeth gets ****a big surprise**

The next day at school, everyone stared at me and Annabeth. I could practically hear them whispering _what's she doing with him? He's such a loser and she's so not! _But Annabeth totally acted like nothing was happening. Sometimes, I really admired how she handled bad situations.

We had English straight after homeroom so I was all ready for the pop quiz although it meant extra Boring time.

"Right, class, settle down!" Boring yelled as a cheerleader screamed at another girl for wearing the same shoes as her, "We're having a pop quiz today!"

I leaned over to Annabeth and whispered "Shocker!" which made her grin which, in turn, mad me almost pass out.

After forty minutes of answering questions that didn't make any sense, I was glad to be out when the bell rang. I carried Annabeth's bag since that's what all the guys in movies do and we walked down to our lockers.

Which is where we got the biggest surprise of our lives: stuck to Annabeth's locker door was a note which read

"_Roses are red_

_Violets aren't blue_

_You're so lucky_

_Cuz __someone__ luvs u!"_

_Love from CH_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 5 – I make a worst enemy**

Okay, for some reason that stupid note on Annabeth's locker made me feel much more uncomfortable than it should have. I mean, I know that she wasn't going to dump me for some guy whose identity we hadn't worked out yet just because he wrote her poetry. Even when she said "Any guy who liked me enough would know that I really don't want to bust a gut trying to figure out what they wrote me" didn't cheer me up. I kept feeling like I needed to prove something to her; like I was just as good as CH who wrote poetry.

"Okay….Christopher Harrison?" Annabeth guessed pointing at a geeky looking guy in the yearbook. We were trying to figure out who CH is. "No, probably not. Any guy who looks like they're being made to listen to Chiron's favourite songs when really he's just having his picture taken is not brave enough to write poetry."

"Well maybe it's Callum Horton. He was voted Smartest Freshman last year." I suggested.

Annabeth sighed and said: "Why does it have to be our school where there are ten CH's?"

"Well we've gone through every CH in the yearbook; the only one left is Chad Harold and no way is it going to be him…" but as soon as I said it we both realised that Annabeth's mystery poet was no other the most annoying guy in our class.

"Oh my gods, there is no way that guy is even remotely romantic! I mean, he has a different girlfriend every week and loves himself more than anyone else in the world and…." Annabeth continued to try and convince herself that Chad wasn't a heartthrob but I couldn't even hear her anymore. I just really needed to punch something and that something would preferably be Chad's face.

While Annabeth brought out her Daedalus laptop and went through notes to calm her down, I thought of a way to make Chad pay. Seriously, I don't know how I ended up with a girl like Annabeth but what I do know that I wasn't about to lose her to the likes of Chad. And I may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but I do know what Chad Harold hates more than anything in the world. If he thinks that he's going to get Annabeth, he's going to have to think twice.

"Hey, Annabeth?" I said, slipping my arm around her waist.

"Yeah?"

"You want to go on a date with Chad?"

"No!"

"For me?"

"What are you talking about, Percy?"

"Trust me, I have a plan."

"But what is he tries to, like, kiss me or something?"

"Just trust me and besides I've heard he's a very good kisser."

"So? You're my boyfriend."

"Seriously, just do it. Please."

"If you're sure this plan is going to work…"

"It will."

"Then…fine. Tell me what I have to do."


	4. Revenge is Fishy and The End

**Chapter 6 – Operation ****Humiliation, Stage 1 (from Annabeth's POV)**

All night I was up, tossing and turning and thinking of Percy's plan. It's actually really weird how he came up with something which didn't involve killing someone or a time machine. It's really quite surprising that he came up with something at all and even if t means I have to go on a date with Chad, it's a pretty good plan. But, of course, it had flaws which I helped to smooth out because being beaten at planning was really not doing my pride any good.

Okay, I can see the school now. Five…four…three…two…I can do this. I said goodbye to Mr Blofis and walked up to the school doors alone. Percy had to be sick today for his plan to work. Mrs Jackson is probably feeding him hot-sauce soup and herbal tea right now even though there's nothing really wrong with him.

Homeroom was chaos as usual. I really don't understand how the popular girls can talk about Jimmy Choo sandals for so long; aren't they all the same? Instead of going to sit at my place, I stopped at Chad's desk.

"Hey, Chad," I smiled. I should have been given an Oscar because what I really wanted to do was hit him over the head with a really heavy stick. "So I got your poem and I thought it was really sweet and not cliché or corny at all. And I was wondering…you want to do something tonight?"

Chad looked so surprised he nearly choked on the apple he was eating but he managed to answer eventually in what he probably thought was an attractive voice (it really sounded like he's come down with a cold or something): "Yeah, Annie, sure. What about Percy?"

"He's sick and I need to have some fun while he's in bed." I replied.

"Great! So wanna catch a movie? There's a new one out with that blonde one fro High School Musical…it's about aliens!"

"Aliens aren't really my thing. I was thinking we grab something to eat. I heard that that café on a boat does really good fish."

Chad frowned and for a split second, he actually looked scared. "Café on a boat? Like on water? Won't you get, like, nauseous?"

I fake-smiled harder, "No! I love water; if I could I'd join the swim team and when I'm older I want to live on a house boat…on water." I lied; hey, Chad didn't know what I really wanted.

Chad gulped. The plan was definitely working. "Uh…well if that's what you _really_ want to do…"

"Oh, I _really, really _want to go to the café on a boat."

Even though it looked like it was killing him, he said he's meet me at Central Perk, the hot dog stand in the middle of the Park. So far, so great.

**Chapter 7 – And you're out (Annabeth POV) **

I was sat at the foot of Percy bed; he'd stayed in it all day under his mom's watchful eye and tendency to be over-protective. I was telling him what had happened in Homeroom today and he was laughing so hard that Mrs Jackson told me to stop whatever I was doing otherwise he'd hurt his throat. Yeah right.

"So he actually fell for it? Gods, he must seriously like you if he's wiling to go on that café on a boat with you." Percy said.

"And I seriously like you otherwise there is no way I would be doing this." I replied and then said, "It's really weird that you'd let me date another guy even for revenge."

"Well," Percy said with mock seriousness, "We are no ordinary couple!"

Ω

At seven, I was at Central Perk and the creepy hot dog vendor kept trying to sell me a pretzel and telling me that my date was not showing up. Finally, half and hour (and two pretzels) later, Chad showed up with a bouquet of daisies – the only flowers I'm allergic to – and apologised for his tardiness.

"You see, I was caught up in traffic and stuff so I was quite late and all that but at least I'm here now." well it was sort of an apology.

As we walked down to the café on a boat (no one knows what it's called by the way), I was just thinking what a lame boyfriend Chad would make; I mean, he wouldn't drive in case his car got scratched by a 'river hobo' – WHAT?! And when we finally got there, he didn't help me up the gangplank like Percy would have just to impress me but stepped in front of me and took forever to get up the stupid piece of wood.

"Chad, there are no such thing as river hobos." I assured him after he'd been on the plank for five minutes and one of the waitresses was looking at him like _what is up with that strange boy?_

"How do you know?"

"I just do and besides, I have seen things scarier than a wet homeless guy and I'm sure river hobos are no scarier than land hobos." I was starting to get really annoyed. His one fear (keep guessing – it's not the river hobos) was really stupider tha I thought.

He finally got up the gangplank after I accidentally on purpose shoved him up it and the creeped-out waitress showed us to the table I'd reserved (another reason why Chad would be a suckish boyfriend – Percy would not only have booked the table, but he would've done it yesterday just to impress me; it's one of the million reasons why I love him).

"So, Chad, I hear you're on every school sport's team…except the swim team." I said casually after I ordered some sushi (I love my seaweed).

"Yeah, I just don't see the appeal of water." he answered and to prove it he went greener than before.

"Really? I LOVE water!"

"Yeah, you said."

Suddenly the boat lurched. Chad yelped and clutched the side of the table. "I told you river hobos are real!" he almost screamed. The waitress who'd arrived with our drinks said "Honestly, you're on a boat; it's gonna lurch at times." And right on cue, it did. and on cue Chad screamed. Loudly. He grabbed his Coke and gulped it down.

"Chad, are you alright?" I asked all fake innocent. The waitress stared like e was the biggest loser she had ever seen before running back into the kitchen probably to tell her colleagues about Chad's baby factor.

"I hate water."

"You hate it, or you're scared of it?"

"Scared of it? No one's scared of water!" he lied clutching his stomach.

"Really, because I think that there may be such a thing as river hobos…"

"No!"

"Yeah and weird looking fish who have to keep their mouths open because they need to be able to scream when the river hobos get them"

Just the came the biggest lurch of all and Chad fell, face forward, into the heap of fish casserole that had been dumped in front of him. "Oh. My. GOD!!!!!" he screamed, "MY FACE!! IT'S KILLING ME – IT BUUUURNS!!!!! ANNABETH WE'RE LEAVING!!"

"No, you're leaving, loser." Percy was right behind him. "Get out, get away from my girlfriend otherwise I will so tell the river hobos that you ate their fish."

Chad looked ready to die "I DIDN'T!! I SWEAR I DIDN'T TOUCH THEIR FISH!!!!" and with that he ran from the café. I seriously don't see the appeal in a guy like that. River hobos? Please!

The waitress let us go without paying because "we provided good entertainment" and as we stepped outside Percy hugged me tight even though he was still laughing. "We got him, _Annie_!"

"Oh yes we did!" I said hugging him back. But before I could say anything else, my lips were mush to busy to be talking anymore.


End file.
